Red Markets: A Game of Economic Horror

In Red Markets, characters risk their lives trading between the massive quarantine zones containing a zombie outbreak and the remains of civilization. They are Takers: mercenary entrepreneurs unwilling to accept their abandonment. Bound together into competing crews, each seeks to profit from mankind’s near-extinction before it claims them. They must hustle, scheme, and scam as hard as they fight if they hope to survive the competing factions and undead hordes the GM throws at them.

Takers that are quick, clever, or brutal enough might live to see retirement in a safe zone, but many discover too late that the cycle of poverty proves harder to escape than the hordes of undead. Red Markets uses the traditional zombie genre to tell a story about surviving on the wrong end of the economy. It’s cut-throat capitalism with its knife on your neck.

Love the game, GM for some friends on TTS. Had one PC ask a newly joined PC how well endowed he was, asked him to roll for it; 10'. GG would run this game again!

Tony MDecember 09, 2017 10:42 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Any chance of a high res version of the map on page 45?

Connor NDecember 05, 2017 3:02 am UTC

PURCHASER

out of all the systems I've ever run, this one is hands down my favourite. I ran a campaign with the play test version of red markets and my players ended up knocking out a horror that defies nature, filling it with stims, and setting it loose on the locals so my players could escape without being shot. Also my teams medic solved most problems with huge amounts of drugs, the bruiser got shot in the leg and can't walk? fill him with stim sauce! we need to run away faster? stim sauce! we are going to see terrible terrible atrocities against nature? bottles of happy pills!

seriously while everyone else kept on buying gear, anti tank rifles, incendiary mortars, and leveling up their skills, my medic went through the game with a pistol, a medkit, and a bag of drugs

Tony MNovember 24, 2017 12:56 pm UTC

PURCHASER

In the end, the words that they wrote there were meaningful.

:-)

Nice background, and lots of it, so even if the Profit System isn't for you could run this with pretty much anything you fancied.

Jared ANovember 23, 2017 7:35 am UTC

PURCHASER

I backed the Kickstarter. Post-apocalyptic Ocean's 11 heists with a Call of Cthulu-type sanity mechanic.

This is more about seeing how far you can get when everything is against you as opposed to being the Big Damn Hero. Combat is alright but what I really like is the non-combat side. Negotiation, planning, providing for dependent NPCs, upkeep on your precious gear, and all while trying to keep your humanity from breaking. And you won't need an accounting ledger for this, it's all presented in the abstract. You can spend resources to get information or to say you have some rope when you find you need some. But you have to be cautious about how you do that because you can successfully complete an adventure and end up worse off than when you started.

The book is setting, rules, and how to run the game. The game mechanics can be adapted to other genres, it's not really that dependent upon the zombie motif. I've been tinkering around with adapting it to a more cinematic crime setting....See more I recommend it.

Jack RNovember 23, 2017 3:40 am UTC

When will this be available for print on demand?

Ethan CNovember 23, 2017 4:37 am UTC

PURCHASER

I don't know about any future POD plans, but it is available in print now from Indie Press Revolution (in the U.S.).

John BNovember 22, 2017 2:44 pm UTC

PURCHASER

What Red Markets provides that so many other games don't is a reason for your characters to adventure. It's a reason that is immediately and viscerally available to anyone who wasn't born wealthy. Hustle and live, or get eaten by a system that doesn't care about you, that lacks the capacity to care about you. Hustle long enough, well enough, and you can not care, too. This is what separates Red Markets from other horror games. You don't have to stretch your view of the world to include inscrutable outer gods or post-singularity machine gods. This horror is economic, and it's personal. It may take a little while to get used to the negotiation mechanic mini-game, but you'll catch on. It's going to feel frustrating that the game penalizes you for accumulating possessions and dependents, but overcoming those constrains is the whole point of the game. Think of them as formal restraints when composing a sonnet or other metered and schemed poem. Wrestling with the structure forces you to be creative, and raises the stakes....See more In closing, this is a game that hits close to home, rewards creative thinking, and with its goal-based storytelling promotes investment in your character and their story. Highest possible recommendation.

Taylor LNovember 21, 2017 10:43 pm UTC

Full Disclosure: I (like others here) backed this book on Kickstarter. I have both the PDF and hardback copy like many here.

A game for post-apocalyptic enthusiast, occult-conspiracy theorists, and plain misery junkies. Gone are the trappings of your best qualities burned away by the fall of civilization in a crisis, instead all of your inefficiencies and weakness laid bare before the monumental task of just surviving. It's not a game about Zombies, it's a game about poverty, loneliness, doing what it takes to survive. The "Casualties" are just one more detail of your bullshit job. It clings to coining the phrase "economic horror" with it's Profit system, where no rolls are free and must be carefully rationed out with limited resources. With it's Boom and Bust rules you can tailor it to be a hardscrabble and heroic romp through a dead civilization like S.M. Stirling's: Dies the Fire or as bleak and unforgiving as Cormack McCarthy's: The Road.

About the Physical Copy:...See more />
I used to make hardcover books for a living so here's what I can tell you about the physical book. The casement is sturdy with glossy, heavy weight covering of most nice RPG books.
The headband/binding cover is an attractive red color that brings to mind a crashing bottom line on an economic chart. The real thing that shines about it though is the art is bled to the edge of the page, no margins, no layout marks. You see a page with art on it and it ends at your fingertips. Wonderful 500 page monster book.

Nathaniel JNovember 21, 2017 9:27 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Another backer here: This game skews dark. As written it leads to interesting moral choices and a sense of impending doom. The players are eternally one job/paycheck away from ruin. Altruism inevitably has deeply personal costs to the characters and those characters families, making heroism all the more heroic. I have some criticisms, but they're very minor, because the game is so well done. It's obviously a labor (pun intended) of love, but don't get it because of that. Buy the game if you want to grapple with a type of horror, financial, that many deal with every day. Spend money on this product to support critiques of capitalism!

Jeff CNovember 21, 2017 8:15 pm UTC

I laughed when I saw "Economic Horror." All I could think of was Debits: the Reconciling or Accounts vs Azathoth or some equally cheesy business metaphors.This game does warrant a good second look, though. The description alone is appealing, plus all the glowing reviews. It's got a good concept despite the quirky subtitle. 'Cthulhu nng pthah! TPS Reports, Now!'

Nicholas MNovember 21, 2017 1:25 am UTC

Full disclosure: I was a Kickstarter backer. That doesn't change the quality of the game though - this RPG is well designed, easy to learn (and easy to teach). The thematic elements are really good - it eases new game-play without imposing too much on the players. The game mechanisms are robust enough to stand without any of the thematic elements as well. That said - the theme, along with how the game mechanisms work - create a wonderful sense of unease, fear and a bit of dread. I like that simply playing the game, in theme, creates this sense.
While technical details can be read elsewhere here are the bits that really stand out for me:
All choices that matter have a cost to players - and they must be balanced against the potential gain.
Upkeep is a big deal (everything has a cost) - People need food, and psychological healing from the brutal and terrifying environment. Tools and weapons have charges, ammo and maintenance... Everything is breaking or is broken... the world is dying. Depending...See more on how you wish to play the game, those costs can he a grinding burden or a reasonable brake for out-of-control-no-holds-barred gameplay. However, even "easy" is not "easy" for the players (in the game setting). It is a harsh and deadly post-apocalyptic world. The dead are sometimes the least of their worries.
The dice are limited to two d10 (I suggest, as the creator does, a red and a black die) - and there are pretty simple methods for task and combat resolution.
The RPG has a strong story telling element to it - with good mechanisms to allow players to actively guide the adventure.
These (and other) game mechanisms ease game prep time - so things are fast, fluid and easy to manage.
I'm typically the Referee/GM/DM (in Red Markets - this role is called "The Market") the ruleset reducing prep time in particular, is a wonderful thing. We can focus more on game play rather than book-keeping.

Love this game. It stands up to "one shot" plays and full campaigns. Players really like it - they are engaged and really active in the world. Referees like it - at least this one does - because it gets the group faster the the "fun part".
I recommend it.

Ethan CNovember 20, 2017 4:01 pm UTC

PURCHASER

I betatested the system and backed the Kickstarter, and now I get to tell you about my favorite RPG.

You might think that a 500-page book couldn't have a core mechanical system that's simple, fast, easy to learn, and highly flexible. Red Markets is all those things. It combines the best elements of traditional task-resolution skill-based gameplay with innovations from the best of the story game scene. And it puts its mechanic constantly at the service of a tight, focused game theme: everything costs resources. Economics as horror.

Economic horror is a genre that you might not have ever heard of, but you've probably played before. The old school dungeon crawl where you're counting your torches and arrows. The sci fi game where you struggle to fix the oxygen system before you asphyxiate. The childhood game of Monopoly, desperately trying to miss landing on your sister's Boardwalk hotel. Any game where the tension and worry revolves around the questions, "Can I afford this?" "Should...See more I risk this?" "What am I giving up for this?"

Red Markets is about bringing those horrors into the center of the game. The zombie apocalypse setting is there to tap into our strongest mythical story about insecurity and constant danger (and it's brilliantly realized in a distinctive authorial voice, not generic in any way). The world of Red Markets is about the horror of having already lost everything, then discovering that you still have so much left that you can still lose. And the horror of the the everyday, constant need to risk life and limb just to get tomorrow's food on the table.

It's a beautiful game that tells beautiful stories, of tragedy, suffering, endurance, and even sometimes triumph (always hard-earned, never certain). And it depicts the daily, constant struggle that eventually adds up to those stories.

There's much more I could write, about the wonderful modular rules elements you could steal for other games, the possibilities for applying the system to other settings and moods, the fantastic community of players that have already created tons of great additional material for it. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's the best RPG I've ever played. It think if you try it, you'll love it too.

Timothy DNovember 19, 2017 11:13 pm UTC

Stop reading reviews and add Red Markets to your cart.

-An easy-to-grasp mechanic that is intuitive and versatile.
-A setting that reads like a zombie apocalypse novel.
-High-concept economic commentary about the inescapable cycle of poverty.
-Entertaining “What Would YOU Do In A Zombie Apocalypse?” role-playing theater.
-Modular structure - build up the length, complexity, and difficulty of your games to suit your liking.
-Thorough and in-depth documentation of development process at Role-Playing Public Radio.
-Gracious, thoughtful developer who signed my book at Metatopia 2017.

What else are you shopping for here?

Chris VNovember 19, 2017 11:17 pm UTC

See... I am going to come across as a dick here, but this comment is the exact reason I won't buy something.
The first line.
You got a serious eye roll and a literal 'XXX' out of me.
I read reviews and based on REALISTIC reviews I will either purchase something or not.
If your intent was to get me to buy - it failed.

It might work on others, but there is always one guy (or more) in a crowd like me who this has the exact opposite of the intended effec.

Tadd MNovember 19, 2017 10:44 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Disclaimer: Let me start out by saying that I backed the Kickstarter of this project. I have been a longtime fan of the crew of Role-Playing Public Radio (RPPR) and Caleb Stokes’ scenarios were some of the best (so good that I converted some of them so that I could run them in my Dark Heresy gaming group- I still hear them talk about Lover in the Ice).

When I heard that Caleb was working on a zombie apocalypse-themed RPG setting (and after hearing some of the actual plays on RPPR) I was definitely interested. I have been looking to run a zombie apocalypse RPG after I retire my Dark Heresy game (which has been going on for nearly a decade now and counting) and didn’t really like the Dead Reign, All Flesh Must Be Eaten and End of the World: Zombie Apocalypse systems. I have finally finished reading Red Markets cover to cover and I think this is the system I’m going to use.

Caleb spins a great story (over a 100+ pages) of how the zombie apocalypse happens in the near future. I found...See more the story to be entertaining and more plausible (as much as a zombie apocalypse can be) than other zombie apocalypse setting explanations. Some critics have pointed out that the book seems left-leaning in its writing (which the author has acknowledged) but I’m interested in using the book as a RPG game system/setting and not as a political reference, so I’m not put off by this.

Players make characters called Takers, which are people trapped in the dangerous wasteland of the zombie-infested “Loss” seeking escape to the still-government-controlled “Recession” (or other desired retirement plan). In order to reach their goal, Takers form a crew that takes on jobs to earn “Bounty” (the new currency). Characters can negotiate for jobs or try to find “Scores” to make profit on. In campaign play, characters must save Bounty to reach their goal, while balancing life and work expenses (new equipment and the upkeep of old, advancing their skills and potential, and other misc. expenses). Characters also have a Humanity tracker, which basically tracks three different parts of their sanity and its possible for a character to never make retirement and become unplayable due to mental instability.

I’m not going into an in-depth review of the game system (you can find a review on that in other forums or, better yet, listen to some of the numerous actual plays out there on RPPR and other sites) but I will say the system is different than those used in traditional RPGs. Basically players roll a black and a red D10. The black (and it’s modifiers from the player’s character in a skill) is compared to the Red result (the Market or opposition) and if the black result is greater the player succeeds (the Markets wins ties). There are also critical successes and failures (determined by even or odd ties) that skill points cannot modify but players can use a character’s limited amount of Will points to manipulate.

The game play, with the dice rolls and their success or failure, encourages role-playing the results and this might discourage gamers who are not into this. There are numerous ways that role-playing is important to the game- Vignettes with Dependents (to heal Humanity), Interludes between characters on the job, and Negotiations (and the various scams to assist in negotiations) offer ample opportunities to role-play (some of which have results based on the die rolls).

There is combat of course (this is the zombie apocalypse) but I feel that the combat rules are more abstract when compared to other games (such as Dark Heresy and Dungeons & Dragons 4th and 5th editions). There are actions and reactions, loosely interpreted ranges but combat is not as exact as some of the grid-based systems that some players enjoy (I do think the rules are adequate enough for players to come up with a grid-based combat system if they prefer that method).

Overall, I like the game system and the main theme, characters trying to survive and escape a very harsh world where fighting and killing is not the sole path to success. Surely killing zombies, raiders and corrupt government agents will help a Taker survive but without proper budgeting of resources, negotiating good pay for jobs and some luck, the Loss will eventually claim the characters.

Catherine GNovember 19, 2017 8:06 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Seriously people, buy this book! It's one of the most original and satisfying rpg setting I've ever seen since Delta Green. The game mechanics are incredibly easy to deal with and there's a great focus on role playing your characters trying to get themselves and their friends and family out of poverty in the zombie wasteland. One of the best new book out there currently rpg wise.

Patrick HNovember 19, 2017 7:21 pm UTC

I got Red Markets after backing it on Kickstarter, so unfortunately I can’t write a full review of it here, but BUY THIS GAME. Just, wow guys, buy this game. This has been my group’s favourite game consistently out of all the systems we’ve dabbled in - the only game we’ve gone BACK to for a second full campaign after the first wrapped.

Caleb does a pretty good job introducing the job to you through the copy text, so I won’t go into that here, though I do recommend grabbing one of the many Actual Play podcasts out there running the game to hear how fast and player-facing it is. Everything is light, but engaging and with a lot of room for customisation and flavour. The setting is great, the GM section has FANTASTIC tools for creating interesting, challenging scenarios for your players, and there are so many optional rules and ‘modes’ of play.

This game is an achievement. Not only is it a fresh take on the zombie apocalypse, but it gives a player-facing system that allows your group a chance to explore a multitude of horrors: the science-mocking blight and the creatures it has unleashed, the [...]

This game is yet another take on the zombie apocalypse. But the designers have added a new wrinkle and integrated it well into gameplay. Fans of the genre will enjoy spotting which elements the game has cherry-picked (the basic premise bears a strong [...]

No other game I've played captures the stress of managing limited resources as well as this one does, which is all the more impressive given that despite the volume's size, the rules aren't even a little more complicated than they need to be. A lot of [...]

Just finished reading this mammoth of a book and must say I am completely satisfied with my purchase. Well written and quite interesting. I’ve been a fan of RPPR for a couple of years now, but mostly for the CoC and Delta Green scenarios. Now, I’m [...]

This is an incredible game that sets out to bring some really new things to gaming, and nails every one of them. In most traditional games, like D&D, your gear is a huge part of your character and you grab all you can get. In Red Markets, your ge [...]

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